* LOCKED* Congrats to the winners of the Great Proof Giveaway!

[Camus]

Hi, Hugh

I've read the Wool books and I'm really looking forward for new entries. Meanwhile, I'll check your other stuff! Also, you've inspired me to write stuff myself! Though I guess I won't make a living out of it. To do that I have to establish myself in my own country, at least as much as to earn enough to hire a decent translator and an editor to get my stuff readable in some language that has more speakers that 1 mil
Anyway, I hope you won't mind the delivery cost when sending me this awesome package That said, greetings from Estonia!

Here's my link to my introduction: http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...-bomb-war-quot .

[CME]

http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...=1319#post1319

So Dear Hugh,
I sure would like to give the "BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER" to the one who
walked in and presented me with Omnibus, saying you HAVE to read this.
I put aside Contagious ( came from same person) and my Father Tim books,
yes Father Tim, that I reread. Well I need a peaceful place to go to now and then.
Back in the day, I read plenty of Science Ficton.
Remember the one where they sent criminals to another planet
to grow extra body parts?! Geez.
Wool is so very much better then any. Thank you for them.
So please keep me in mind, and keep writing!

[Videosta]

Here's my intro piece- http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...Doer-of-Things

I'm on the second book right now. I will get through the rest ASAP. More than likely this will happen on a trip to the beach in two weeks.

There are two big things I love about this series already. The first is how believable the world is. I instantly feel transported to a new place when I read Hugh's writing, and while this place isn't somewhere I would really want to live, it is intriguing to think about how I would deal with living through this.

The second is how Hugh makes you want to learn the truth. Lots of works have big questions, but few answers. Hugh sets up a good question- is the view they are seeing on the screens real or fake- but this simple question makes you instantly suspicious of every character you meet. Even the ones that seem earnest may be lying to themselves, and in turn lying to the reader. This creates a tension that is palpable.

I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters I am meeting in the story so far. The world seems so broken in Wool, but it is broken in a way that mirrors our own in a way that I hope makes people think about how we all might be getting false messages from the screens we are watching.

[tbert204]

Remember when that one guy 1-starred Wool and 50 million fans digitally kicked him in the balls?

That was awesome.

http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...-s-best-friend

[Solo]

http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...9-Introduction

I first heard about your books from the Gizmodo website. Luckily, my friend had your Omnibus collection on his Kindle. I liked your series so much that i felt guilty for reading them for free. So i went ahead and donated however much Amazon was charging for it. (First time paying for a book that i don't own). I'd love to win a copy of those Proofs and have my actual own copy!

As for the books:

It was interesting to see Bernard's character develop. It wasn't what i expected. I expected to hate the guy through-and-through, but when he starts to talking to Lukas about how much he disagrees with the system, it made me feel empathy for him. It was like taking a villain, and turning him into a good guy. For me, it was reminiscent to the end of Book 1 of the Mistborn Trilogy. Or like Breaking Bad (how he goes from good guy to bad guy), but in reverse. And although, Bernard ultimately lived up to his Antagonist persona, i couldn't help but feel bad for him in the airlock.

As for me, I can't wait to start book 6. But here's a question, It says you're working on Wool 9, then when's book 7 and 8 coming?

[withrye]

Hope I win! Here is my intro thread and my thoughts: http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthread.php?251-Hi!

[JonShogren]

Oh man, I hope I am doing this right. This is me trying to win the proofs on a train in Chicago from my iPhone...

http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...=1421#post1421

I read Wool on recommendation from a friend, and I was floored by part one. It could have ended there, and I would have been buying it for all of my friends, printing it out and touting it as one of my favorite short stories of all time. Thank goodness (and tons of greedy fans) that it didn't end there! 2012 was a year of Sci-Fi for me. I read several books in the Dune series, all of Enders Game, and several other classics for the first time. I will probably recommend Wool over all of those to my friends as must read Sci-Fi. Parts 2-5 were no let down, Jules is an amazing character, I can't wait for more.

The night I finished part one, I had a dream of me explaining to everyone at work what happened at the end of the book, and forcing them to buy copies. The next day, I made it a reality! I sold two just on my enthusiasm alone.

[liliyarn]

http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...4-wool-spinner

Hidden gem

I average about 600 pages of reading per week and I can easily say that this book was the best book for me in the past two years. It was an edge of seat page turner from page 1 through page 1257. Without any hesitation I give it five stars and will attempt to explain why it deserves it. My words however cannot do it justice. You must read it for yourself.

First you can feel the passion and dedication from the author. Howey nurtured this story into life like the piece of art it should be. It is descriptive without being tedious or going overboard. The imagery and descriptions reflect and support the dynamic characters. One of the best world building that I‘ve come across. It consumes the reader. The silo becomes a living breathing character.

The characters are very well developed, each with their own perspective and philosophy. The reader can empathize with their struggles and understand them. Not only that, the choices and events that each character goes through to impact and develop other characters. They influence others in subtle ways and tie into one another much like knitted fabric. You become invested in each person.

This dystopian post-apocalyptic story is realistic and refreshing. A few surprises and curve balls come at you making this anything but predictable. I particularly loved the teaser chapters that occasionally skip to the near future. It was artfully done. The plot still flowed and was never choppy. I enjoyed every minute of it and cannot wait until the story continues.

Hugh Howey you are not a nobody but a hidden gem. Thank you for gifting us this phenomenal read.

[tink]

I'll play. Here's my intro post: http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthread.php?37-Hey-all.

I'm not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said over and over here, but the things that most impressed me about WOOL were that the story transcended genre, there were several OMG *gasp* moments in there (and as I usually pride myself in being able to predict what's going to happen, those moments of surprise were particularly satisfying), the characters were so rich and vivid, and the books themselves were without error. Seriously. I'm a former English teacher and it's shocking to find ANY books published these days that aren't riddled with distracting errors or typos (which immediately break the willing suspension of disbelief). What a relief and joy that WOOL didn't fall prey to this. I was able to completely immerse myself in the reading, and that was a fantastic experience.

[Hoju_ca]

http://hughhowey.com/forums/showthre...=1453#post1453

Like I said in my introduction, I compare reading this to when I first read Ender's Game. That should be enough said.
Read the Onimbus over 2 days.